Hyderabad police arrest 66, identify 1,194 ghost SIMs, 101.87cr
Hyderabad police just took down a huge "ghost" SIM card scam, arresting 66 people linked to cybercrimes across India.
Their week-long Operation Octopus 3.0 uncovered ₹101.87 crore in fraud and identified 1,194 fake SIM cards spread over 18 police teams deployed across 13 states.
Aadhaar misuse fuels ghost SIMs
Fraudsters used stolen identities to activate "ghost SIMs," which helped them hide online and run scams: everything from fake social media accounts to eSIMs for dispatch abroad.
Many victims were rural or less tech-savvy folks whose Aadhaar info got misused at bulk SIM camps.
Hyderabad police, telcos, TRAI tighten KYC
To stop this from happening again, Hyderabad police are teaming up with major telecom companies and regulators like TRAI to tighten up KYC checks and close loopholes, aiming to make things safer for everyone online.